On Potatoes

Stewardship Farm:

The farm that respects potatoes and delivers them with dignity and pizzazz!

We are your resident connoisseurs coming from years of trial and selection in the love of potatoes!

Sage Russet: A Stewardship Farm exclusive Russet potato; a recent find from 2013 that wowed us for its exceptional baking qualities. It has a delicious almost leathery skin and a perfectly balanced semi-dry flesh. It uniquely Bakes exquisitely, fries well, and mashes well, although it is a shame to not take the best advantage of the nutritious and flavorful delightfully textured skin in a baker or old time stuffed potato skins.

Yellow Finn: Coastal Columbia River Region Original: Yellow Finn potatoes entered the USA through Finnish American fisherman from Astoria and Clatskanie who traded for it in Russian Territory of Alaska due to its remarkable robust almost buttery flavor. Definitely unique among potatoes, not the yellowest, but arguably one of the most unique of standard potato flavors. They grow exceptionally well in the cool wet climate of our region, while the eastern dry climate farmers cannot get it to produce. This is the regional heirloom Astoria/Clatskanie Potato.

Buttercup: An absolute Stewardship Farm exclusive. Buttercup is a deep yellow to gold, rich buttery flavored potato with waxy consistently moist flesh that stays together for salads after boiling. It is uniquely flavorful for all applications with its own character.

Kennebec: Here is a classic Yellow skinned white fry potato that in New England apparently has no rivals—newly added by request.

White Cream: This is the simple stalwart potato that is handy and reliable for all uses. It is not a Russet, but works as one. It is not a red, but cooks like one. It takes to any recipe with an obedient reliability for dependable results year round.

Blush: Stewardship farm exclusive first traded out of Central British Columbia in 1996 and what a find! This has been our favorite flavor and texture and general all ways usable potato. Like a chameleon of the potato world it digs exquisite light bright purple with snow white flesh as early as June. Blush gets shy into mid to late summer and begins to blush, turning a pink purple that finishes off in storage as a unique mosaic of the stretched pink purple over white. In early season it sets skin but stays exceptionally waxy fleshed and absolutely delicious beyond all others for salads and other summer specific uses. The flavor is simple and out of this world compared to other potatoes. Later in the season it ages into a general use potato that is nicely shaped, productive, and really good for everything. Blush holds together tenaciously when boiled.

Purple Majesty: Here is a find from years ago somewhat available in the farmers’ markets of our region. It is unique among the ultra healthful deep purple fleshed potatoes in that it is both early and it is waxy fleshed. The typical purples are very dry while Purple majesty holds together and works well with roasted reds or in salads. It is quite a unique treat baked. The color stays consistently purple no matter the use. Blue/Purple mashed potatoes anyone?

Purple Peruvian Fingerling: This is the ultra dry mealy potato that is so extreme it creates its own recipes. As a long skinny fingerling deep dark purple inside and out it is exquisite roasted with spices and sufficient oil. No other potato is like it and none holds the level and unique nutritional/healthful attribute of the famous Purple Peruvian.

Austrian Crescent Fingerling: Another unique one, Austrian Crescents are golden semi-dry, and balanced in their own right. Nearly identical in texture to Banana fingerling, perhaps a little closer to but more balanced than Princess La Ratte, they differentiate themselves in the flavor of the outer potato and the skin. Some call them nutty, but to do it justice there is a bitter element that in the right hands becomes the golden attribute. Its outer region and skin section is a spice and health contributor all its own but certainly demands a level of respect and skill.

Amarosa Fingerling: Here is a presentation piece not unlike a typical potato flavor, the semi-dry balanced long skinny Amarosa is deep burgundy colored with a burgundy red flesh that holds in cooking. Besides the obvious health factors associated, it cooks up nice along fingerlings. The larger ones are great for Red Mashed Potatoes.

Red Thumb: Considered a fingerling, Red Thumb is a bit stubby for the title. It, like the French fingerling is less elongated than Austrian Crescent, Purple Peruvian, or Amarosa. It is a simple standard flavored small potato with excellent presentation—bright red skin and predominate red on less white flesh. Balanced texture all use potato in fingerling class that cooks up in a distinct pink.

French Fingerling: The classic mock fingerling. World renowned for culinary attributes it is the shape of red thumb, elongated but ovular in all sizes from tiny to baker. It is a yellow fleshed dark red skinned potato with slight red mottling inside. Balanced texture mild skin.

Purple Viking: Ultra white fleshed deep purple skinned potato with dark pink eyes. This one looks superb and cooks superbly anyway you prepare it. It is a supremely balanced and quite large potato.

Cikleman: Like the French Fingerling in shape and colors, this is a deep red skinned yellow fleshed variety that is smaller and much more elongated than other reds apart from French Fingerling. It is simpler in culinary capacity than its cousin and usually lacks the splashes of red in the flesh. It does quite well for most applications serving the place of a small elongated red with yellow flesh larger than a fingerling, but with more surface area than a round red.